Cole Shinsky battled Champion City and the heat to earn his first victory of the season.

The Knoch High School product worked 5 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on three hits in Butler's 11-4 Prospect League victory over the Kings at Kelly Automotive Park Sunday afternoon.

It was Shinsky's longest outing of the season. He previously had started four games, with only one of them lasting five innings.

The BlueSox (9-20) had used six pitchers in Saturday night's 15-12 loss to Champion City. That fact, coupled with the 90-plus degree temperatures, made it very important that Shinsky give the Sox as many innings as he could.

“I knew coming in that I had to go at least five innings, give our arms some rest,” said Shinsky, who helped to snap Champion City's five-game winning streak. “It feels great to get my first win. It's about time.”

Shinsky battled through adversity in the second inning. Following a 10-pitch first frame, he began the second with back-to-back walks to Gehrig Anglin and Sheldon Reed.

After erasing Anglin with a pick-off move, Shinsky tried the same against Reed, but the throw was wide and went into foul territory. Reed raced around the bases for the game's first run.

Zac Luckey drove in a run with a single later in the inning and Mike Branigan doubled in another for a 3-0 lead.

Shinsky did strand a runner at third when he induced Quincy Hamilton to ground out to end the inning.

“Josh Forbes (Butler's pitching coach) came out to talk to me near the end of the inning and told me I had to bear down and get out of it,” said Shinsky. “I calmed down and it was smooth going after that. It was all mental.”

Shinsky then worked 2 1/3 scoreless innings to cap his outing. He retired Reed for the first out of the sixth before he was replaced on the mound by Jarod Deagan.

By that point, Butler had taken a 6-3 lead. A three-run fourth frame was sparked by a two-run single from Knoch graduate Dominick Bucko. Andrew Chuba scored the inning's final run on a double-steal.

The Sox scored three runs on double-steals in the game.

Butler manager Cody Herald said a lot goes into deciding when to pull the trigger on such a play.

“It depends on the number of outs and the situation,” he said. “Who's batting, a righty or lefty, how they've been swinging the bat.”

Leading 7-4 in the bottom of the seventh, Butler broke the game open against the Kings' bullpen.

Chuba laced a two-run single and Bucko drove in two more with a double just inside third base. All four runs were charged to Champion City reliever Alex Shirazi.

All five Butler County natives on the Sox' roster played a role in the victory.

Aside from the efforts of Shinsky and Bucko, Knoch grad Chris Law started at third base and was 1-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored. Fellow Knoch product Alex Stobert pitched a scoreless eighth inning and Wyatt Daugherty, a Butler High graduate, closed the game with a scoreless ninth.

Butler scored 23 runs on 28 hits in its two games over the weekend.

“We've been more aggressive at the plate,” said Herald. “The guys are attacking early in the count. We're doing what we need to do and that's leading to all the hits.”

The Sox begin a two-game series at home against Chillicothe on Tuesday.

Champion City 030 000 100 — 4 9 2

Butler 011 311 40x — 11 14 2

W: Cole Shinsky 5.1 IP (2K, 3BB). L: John Schreiber 5 IP (4K, 2BB).

Champion City (10-13): Zach Santoro 2-1B, Zac Luckey 1B R RBI, Mike Branigan 2-1B 2B R RBI

Butler (9-20): Andrew Chuba 2-1B 2R 2RBI, Dominick Bucko 2-1B 2B 4RBI, Colton Carney 2-1B, Chris Law 1B 3R, Steven Kokoski 2-1B 2B, Mike McGee 2-1B 2B 4R

Tuesday: Chillicothe at Butler